A Dark And Stormy Night
by Ghostwriter71
Summary: Tanya, feeling more alone than ever after Bella's wedding and her sister's death, seeks companionship with human men. When the man she finds is anything but human, what ancient secrets will she discover? Will one of them be love?
1. Chapter 1

She wondered why she kept doing this to herself, letting herself get so depressed and nearly slip back into her old habits. It had been 7years for heaven's sake! Would she never get over him? Her family was worried about her. Very worried. And she was worried about herself as well. What was wrong with her? It wasn't jealously as far as she could tell. She liked his new wife. She honestly did. And she was truly happy for the two of them. He had been lonely for so long, so brooding and…what was the term? Emo, that was it. He'd been so emo before. Now, he was deliriously happy with a wonderful wife as well as a delightful and precious daughter. Everything had finally turned around for him, and she was glad.

Her sister, too…she was glad her sister had found someone who so obviously adored her. Adored and loved her enough to give up his old lifestyle, and settle down with the family. But now, having two happy couples in the house, she was the odd fifth wheel, unable to relate to the situations the others were living.

She had toyed with the idea of moving out, but where would she go? Family bonds, created over so many years, weren't easily broken; certainly not on a whim. It would seem petty, bratty even, to leave just because she had no mate. So she would stay. If she were honest with herself, leaving the family had never truly been part of the equation. It was just that sometimes, especially when the couples had departed to their rooms or were cuddling on sofas and chairs, she _had_ to get out of the house.

And then of course, there was this one night in particular. Around this time every year for the last seven, she acted like a werewolf does around the full moon…running off somewhere—anywhere—to lose herself in men for three nights: the nights before, of, and after that one day in her year which she dreaded above all others. It was like remembering a death, although she never ran off on the dates of her mother or sister's deaths. Then she stayed in and cried with her remaining sister and their friend who was as close as a sister.

Besides, there had never been anything romantic between them. Oh, on her part there certainly was, no denying that; but not on his…never on his. It was all her. He could barely tolerate her, and that was probably more for his father's sake than hers. And she hated herself for feeling this way. For playing the fool over a silly boy.

So there she was, standing in the pouring rain in front of a bar in some city in the Los Angeles area—Glendora, she thought-in search of another conquest to fill her emptiness for one more lonely night. Another night to pretend she had a love of her own. Tomorrow she would go back home. Her sister and friends would say nothing about it, would welcome her back, knowing that she was mourning in her own way over a lost dream, now gone for good. The men she picked up were nothing to her. There was no other man out there who was, who could be, anything to her. Only him. And he was out of her reach forever, although he'd never even been hers to begin with. It had never been anything more than a dream.

Maybe after this year, things would be different. Maybe she would finally grow up and get over him. Maybe she would wake from the stupid, school-girl crush, and act mature enough to deal with the reality of being alone (romantically speaking). But not yet. One more night of self-pity and indulging. She sighed and entered the bar.

It was like any other she had visited—crowded, noisy, filled with acrid cigarette and cigar smoke, music blaring from an unseen jukebox, and drunk men. A few women, but mostly men. Standing in the doorway shaking the rain off her coat, her eyes scanned the room. Most of the tables were full of loud men bragging to each other and flirting with the waitresses. After several moments of looking around, decided to try another place.

But as she turned to leave, she caught sight of a man at the end of the bar furthest in the corner. His fingers were steepled, a lit cigarette dangling between two of them. There were many empty shot glasses on the bar in front of him. No one was sitting near him, although there were empty stools on both sides of him, and several of the women in the room, also sitting at the bar, were casting longing looks in his direction. However, he seemed oblivious to this fact, lost in a world of his own.

Even from this distance, she could see his green eyes. They held a far away, vacant look. And she didn't doubt it, considering all the glasses in front of him. The man must be very drunk by now. Yet his hands didn't shake, and his eyes, while vacant, did not look like the eyes of a drunken man. His brown hair was neither too long nor too short. He was dressed conservatively in polo shirt, brown leather jacket, and (she suspected, unable to see the lower half of his body) khaki pants. A drunk, good looking man on his own in a bar. Just the thing she was looking for after all, she thought, and headed his direction.

Sliding onto the stool to his right, she smiled the smile that had captivated so many men over the years. "Hello. "

The man turned slowly and locked eyes with her for a moment. Then he looked away again. "Evening."

In the instant their eyes had met, her breath had caught for a fraction of a second. She wasn't sure why. True, he was about the best looking man she had ever seen. But it was something more than that. Something she couldn't quite figure out.

Then it dawned on her. His eyes were clear and sharp, not dull and glassed as they should have been, considering the number of empty glasses—fourteen—in front of him. Not only that, this man had been unfazed by her beauty. She wasn't vain, but she did know how beautiful she was. Men never just glanced at her. They always did double takes, ogled her, undressed her with their eyes. Yet he had just glanced at her then looked away.

She tilted her head slightly, eyes on his face, enjoying it (he had a lovely profile, she decided), listening to his heartbeat. It had not increased a bit. In fact, it sounded a little slower than a normal human heartbeat should. Another oddity…not only had her looks not caused it to increase, he seemed to not be bothered by the fact that he was seated so close to a predator that could kill him in an instant if she chose. Human heartbeats always increased when her kind were near them, for one of those two reasons.

But this man, first rebuffing her looks, was at the same time not affected by her predatory nature. This both amazed and intrigued her. She took in his scent…human, and yet off in some way. Human, but not exactly. That made no sense. She knew he was human, could hear his heart. So what was it? He didn't smell like Renesmee, who was part human and part vampire. He did smell delicious, though. Different from anyone she had smelled before. No, this was something else all together; something she had never encountered in her thousand some years on earth. And she realized another thing that increased her feelings of interest—the man was not the slightest bit drunk, as she had thought when she saw him from the door. She began to wonder if the shot glasses were for show, when he filled another from a bottle of Jack Daniels, and tossed it back as if it were water. He added the glass to the pile in front of him.

His eyes still stared straight ahead, seeing nothing. Or seeing something far away, something in his past. Then she knew. Oh, she knew, for she had seen the same look in her own eyes before, in mirrors. And always around this time of year.

"What was her name?"

The man stiffened somewhat, and his head turned towards her faster this time. He stared at her intently for a few moments, before looking away again. A corner of her mind noted that he had looked only at her eye, not lower to where her low-cut dress showed off much of her stunning features. Every man before had never been able to resist the urge to look down. But this man did. So either he was gay, or the most unique man she'd ever met.

"What makes you think it's a woman?" He took a drag on the cigarette before grinding it out on the bar, then tossed back another shot of Jack.

"Oh, I know the look." Sympathy filled her voice, and she, too, found herself staring at something far away and long ago.

The man chuckled. It was a nice sound. "And what was _his_ name then?"

Coming back to the present, she looked and noticed he was watching her with a small smile. She returned it, noting his eyes were still on her face and not somewhere else on her body.

"How do you know it's because of a man?" Her words echoed his.

His eyes moved away, and resumed their melancholy aspect. "Well, a classy, beautiful woman (He had noticed!) alone in a bar. She's either a hooker, or looking for a quick hook up with a drunk man either revenge or to forget another guy." He glanced casually at her, this time his eyes sweeping over her figure, but not lustfully, just assessing. Then they returned to her face. "You don't come across as a hooker at all, not dressed in those very expensive clothes and shoes. Logically, then, it must be a guy. So what's his name?"

"I asked you first." The playful banter was nice. Not flirting, just comfortable. She'd never felt like this before, and it both bothered and delighted her.

His smile widened, but grew sad. "Bridget."

"Edward." She heard the depression in her voice as she said it, wondered if he noticed.

He nodded, and returned to contemplating the bottles on the shelf behind the bar.

"I'm Tanya, by the way." She held her hand out.

"Sean." He took her hand. As he did so, his eyes widened and his gaze fell to her hand, then rapidly back to her face. She released his hand a bit too fast, and prayed he didn't notice. She flashed her dazzling smile, hoping to distract him.

"Hmmm," he murmured, a slight narrowing of his eyes. Then he turned away yet again. "So, Tanya, how long has it been?"

She blinked. "I—I beg your pardon?" If she had been human, she would have blushed. What exactly was he asking…the last time she'd been intimate?

Noting her reaction, he smiled. "How long has it been since he broke your heart, this Edward?"

"Seven years." Relief flooded her; that's all he meant. "What about you?"

His eyes hardened. "A long time."

"How long?" She leaned closer to him.

"A very, very, _very_ long time." He had two shots in rapid succession, swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. She heard the bitterness in his voice, and her heart reached out to him. Here was a kindred spirit, another broken, fragile person, someone who knew the pain of rejection every bit as well as she did.

Without thinking, she covered his hand with hers. "I'm sorry, Sean."

He looked down at their hands, and again murmured "Hmmm."

And again Tanya quickly removed her hand. "Sorry, it was an impulse. You just sounded so desperately sad. "

Sean looked her in the eye. "You have lovely eyes. Such a beautiful shade of gold. A very unique color. I've never seen the like of it before. Green or violet, on occasion. The common browns and blues, of course. But never gold. Does it run in…your family?"

Tanya was not at all sure how to answer the question. It seemed to be a loaded one, something about the way he'd said "family". She shivered, but decided to answer truthfully, see where it led. After all, Carlisle and the other Cullens were as much her family as her sisters were. "Yes, we all have golden eyes. Most of the time." She raised her chin and returned his stare defiantly. "Is that a problem?"

"Hmmm. No, it's not a problem. As long as you're not looking for a meal around here."

She gasped. Did he know? How_ could_ he know? And if he did, the Volturi would somehow find out. "What do you mean by that?"

He ignored her question. "You have a very slight accent. Slovak, I think, but not colloquial Slovak. Eastern Slovak, at the time when it was moving from Prot to a more modern dialect. I would estimate late 10th century."

Another gasp. "How? How could you tell that?" her accent was barely noticeable, what was left of it. Who was this man?

He held her gaze, the corner of his mouth turning up. "I've traveled extensively in my lifetime."

Neither spoke for a while, each staring at the other, until he looked away to slam back yet another shot.

"The aura of death surrounds you, Miss Tanya. But then, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Nor should I be judgmental." The last statement she didn't quite understand, but the first worried her a great deal.

Suddenly, she had to know more about this man. If he was a threat, so she could warn others. If he was a friend, to better understand and protect him from those damn Volturi. She leaned forward. "Tell me what you know." When he remained silent, she added, "Please. It's important. You could be in danger."

He laughed openly at that. "I most sincerely doubt it." Another shot. How many had he consumed as she sat there with him? And yet his eyes and speech were as clear and sharp as ever. There was no way he was fully human. No way. So the question remained: what exactly was he?

"But I believe that you are harmless enough, to humans at any rate. I only detect the scent of animal blood in you." His voice was low, there was no way any of the others in the bar could hear him. He shook his head. "So you're one of those, eh?"

Tanya bristled at the comment."What is that supposed to mean?"

He sighed. "A vampire who developed a conscience. One with a noble streak, or the mind of a martyr. Denying your true nature, the real you. Living in a weakened state of existence because you think it's somehow morally superior to deny what you are."

He turned to her, and Tanya gasped again. Gone were his lovely green eyes, replaced with red irises, and nothing but pure black where the whites of his eyes should be. He grinned. After a moment, he closed his eyes. And when he opened them again, they had returned to the green color she had first admired.

"What—what happened to your eyes?"

"Unlike you, Miss Tanya, I do not find shame in my nature."

"Who _are_ you?"

"I told you, my name is Sean, and I am no one of any real consequence."

"OK then, _what_ are you?"

He twirled another shot glass in his fingers, debating how to answer the question. She waited patiently.

"I am a mixture of three natures: human, vampire and…something else all together."

Tanya wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Wolf?" Gods, please don't let him be part _dog_!

"No, not wolf. Something else, other. As superior to vampires as you are to humans. Perhaps more so."

"What in the world could be superior to us?"

His beautiful smile returned, lighting his eyes mischievously. "Ah, the arrogance of ignorance. Didn't you ever consider there might be other things in the world, just as secretive, just as cunning, just as powerful, and even more so? Did you think vampires and werewolves are the only remnants of whispered nightmares from humanity's dim recollection that still walked the earth? 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'" He drank another. "I am sorry, I can't tell you. My family wouldn't take kindly to it."

"Well, the Volturi won't take kindly to your knowing about vampires either!" She knew it might be an empty threat, but she wanted to know more about him, and hoped perhaps a good bluff might work.

But the face he turned toward her showed puzzlement. "What's a Volturi? Is that Chevy's new mid-sized sedan?" He chuckled, and it infuriated her. Infuriated her that he would speak flippantly of the vile scum who had hurt her badly so many times, that continued to hold sway over her family even now.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you! They killed my mother and my sister!" The words were out before she could stop them, and the hands she clamped over her mouth couldn't bring them back. She felt the familiar stinging at the back of her eyes that came so frequently to her these days, the start of tears that would never fall. She turned away.

This time he took _her_ hand. "Eyes as wonderful as yours should never be so filled with sadness. Please forgive me. I had no idea. I'm not a mind reader, after all."

Tanya let out a sound that was half way between a sob and a laugh.

Sean frowned. "What did I say now?"

"Edward…Edward can read minds." Tanya shook her head. "It's alright. I'm fine. It just took me off guard, your dismal of the Volturi. They rule our kind, the vampires. I'm surprised you've never heard of them."

"Never." Sean frowned again. "I don't see how they can rule the vampire world, as I travel extensively within that particular world. Strange. But then, I have never seen anyone, let alone a vampire, with golden eyes before, either."

"Well, there aren't many of us 'martyrs' out there." She smiled as he raised an eyebrow, catching the use of his own words. "We call ourselves vegetarians, and have golden eyes. The human drinkers all have red eyes."

"I've never met a red-eyed vampire before either."

"And I've never met one with black and red eyes."

He flashed his smile again.

Tanya's confusion returned. "How many vampires do you know?"

"Thousands."

Tanya gasped again. "There are not thousands of us, not even if you include the Nomads!"

He looked at her, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if trying to gauge the truth of her words. "Interesting. This will require considerably more thought. At least, more than I am willing to put forth tonight. Now, tell me about yourself." His smile returned then. That kind smile Tanya found intriguing. No, she found _everything_ about this man intriguing.

And Tanya found herself telling him more than she had ever told anyone, with the exception of her sisters and perhaps Carlisle. She told him about her life of the past few years, the marriage of Edward and Bella, the gathering to protect Renesme, the death of Irina, all the men she had been with since the Cullen wedding and even before, how alone she felt. She told him everything. And he made no comment, not interrupting, letting her vent for well over an hour. She kept her voice low, so no one around them-including the bartender who seemed incapable of keeping his eyes off her, until Sean sent him a pointed look, at which he gulped and moved to the other end of the bar.

"Incredible," Sean murmured when she was finished. He shook his head. "Such pain. I am truly sorry, Tanya. Life has not been at all kind to you. I wish there was something I could do to ease that pain. But regrettably, I don't know what."

"You've done something for me already." She leaned closer to him and took his hand again. "You've listened. You've been a sympathetic ear. I suppose I just didn't realize how much I needed to let it all out. I…feel safe with you." She laughed then. "Isn't that funny? I feel safer pouring my heart out to a total stranger than I do with my own family."

"Your family does love you. Remember how they held you back from attacking those Volturi parasites when they destroyed your sister. Think how they've given you your space all this time. Don't sell them short. This Carlisle fellow seems to be someone you hold in very high esteem. I bet he could help you deal with some of this. It's not good to hold it all in, Tanya. Not good at all." His face grew dark. "Trust me…you think seven years is bad? I've been trying to get drunk this one night a year for much longer than seven years."

"How much longer?"

Sean smiled darkly, showing his teeth. It was almost more of a sneer than a true smile. But it was directed at himself, not her. "Much longer."

"How old are you, Sean?" Tanya's voice was not much more than a murmur of a whisper.

"Old."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Disappointment was clear in her voice. She had told him so much about her, yet she still knew so very little about him.

His eyes found hers again. A long moment passed. Then he sighed; a bone weary, mind numbingly tired sigh. It reminded her a bit of Marcus. "I was born a year before the Romans abandoned Hadrian's Wall."

Old as she was, Tanya wasn't sure how old that made him, or what year that particular event had occurred. But she knew it was a long time ago, and many years before she was born. She looked at him closely. He appeared no older than Carlisle, if as old. Yet he had to be almost as old as the Voturi. But he looked strong, his skin normal and not translucent, nor his eyes having any of the filmy qualities the Volturi had. She found herself wondering more and more about him. There was so much she wanted to ask, to find out, to talk about. But he glanced at his watch and sighed again.

"I really must be going. It has been a immense pleasure talking to you. You've made this a wonderful end to what has otherwise been a most depressing night for me. I hate to end it, but I have things I must see to." He stood, dropped a handful of money on the bar, bowed to Tanya, and headed to the door.

Tanya felt like panicking. She had found someone who intrigued her more than anyone else she had met in her long years of existence. And he was about to walk out the door. She couldn't let that happen. Tanya wasn't sure what she was feeling, as she had never felt like this before. Was it infatuation? Strong like? A fast-forming friendship? Love? She had no idea. All she knew was that she couldn't let him disappear.

She hurried after him, careful to walk at a human pace. He reached the door ahead of her, and she called out, "Sean!" Hoping her voice didn't sound as desperate as she felt. Another first—she was chasing a man. Other than Edward, that had never happened before either. It was always the man chasing her.

He paused, hand on the door, and turned to her with another smile.

"Sean, I have to thank you as well, for helping me get through this night." She stood staring stupidly at him for a while. Then she shook her head. "Hold on, please." She dug in her purse, finding a pen and piece of paper. "This is my phone number. And here's my email address. And this is my address in Alaska. If—if you ever feel like talking or…or something, please give me a call, or email, or write a letter." She wrote it all out on the paper and handed it to him, feeling like a fool. She told herself it was just because it was an emotional time of year for her, but she knew better, and didn't buy her own lie.

Sean glanced at the paper. Then he looked at her and slowly shook his head. "Oh, Tanya. It's truly a shame I didn't meet you centuries ago, when I still had a heart to give a woman. How things might have been different." He smiled sadly. "You are an incredibly strong yet deeply compassionate woman. Your Edward must be one giant fool."

It was Tanya's turn to shake her head sadly. "No, he just found the other part of his heart. And it wasn't me, that's all." Strangely, for the first time in many years, that thought didn't seem to bother her. And again, she wasn't sure why.

Sean looked down at the paper. "Denali, Alaska. A lovely place, as I recall. Haven't been there in decades.

Tanya smiled. "Maybe…maybe you'd like to see it again sometime. At least, maybe in a year. It might be more fun than sitting in a bar trying to drink and forget. Especially when you can't even _get_ drunk."

Sean half smiled. And for a moment, despite the difference in his hair and eye color, he looked as beautiful to her as Edward once had. "It might at that…at least maybe in a year," he repeated. "At least." Then he surprised her by taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. "Good night, Tanya." Then he turned and went out the door.

Tanya stood just inside the entryway, watching him walk down the now mostly deserted street. At the corner, he turned and raised his hand in farewell before disappearing from her sight.

Tanya sighed. Who was he? She had told him so much about herself, and yet what did she know of him? She went over the scant facts she'd gathered: He was an old, immortal hybrid of some kind. He ate and drank human food, yet couldn't get drunk. His eyes could change to black and red. He had a slight Irish brogue, knew about vampires but nothing of the Volturi, and that was about it. Should she be worried? Was he a spy? Would he use the knowledge he'd gained this night to attack or destroy her or her family, or even the Volturi? No, though she knew next to nothing about him, one thing she did know: he was a good man. That, she was certain of. And—he hadn't said goodbye…he'd only said good night. She smiled, and looked at the back of her hand.

The rain had stopped, the storm passed on; lightening flashed in the distance. Tanya took her time walking back to her car, still puzzling over the strange but lovely evening. And in that time she made a decision. She needed to talk it over with the one man whose opinion she valued over all others in the world. Carlisle Cullen. She started the car, got on the 210 Freeway, and headed north…


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: OK, hope this chapter isn't too boring. Lots of talking, blah-blah-blah. But things start to pick up next chapter.** **Anyway, hope whoever reads it enjoys it despite that. And I am NOT Stephenie Meyer (as if any one actually needs me to say that!), and consequently I do not own the "Twilight" characters (again, DUH!)**

CHAPTER TWO:

Tanya arrived at the Cullen mansion around Noon the next day. All she'd been able to think about during her drive was the man she'd met in that bar. And after hours of contemplation, she had been able to figure out nothing more than she'd learned talking with him the night before. She hoped that the old saying "two heads are better than one" would prove true, and that Carlisle would be able to help her make more sense of things.

Tanya had called after she'd crossed the border into Washington State, and talked with Esme. Fortunately, Carlisle was not scheduled to work that day, so would be available to talk with her. Tanya had not gone into any real detail on the phone, merely telling Esme that she had run across a problem she needed some help figuring out.

Also fortunately (to Tanya's mind, at least) Edward and Bella were gone on an anniversary trip. So she would not have to worry about hiding her thoughts from Edward. That could get rather tedious at the best of times; and now, confused as she was, it would have been even harder.

Esme greeted her affectionately on the porch. Tanya dearly loved Esme, and believed her to be about the most caring and warm person she'd ever met. Esme, for her part, thought highly of Tanya, and had never been jealous of the friendship Tanya and Carlisle shared. Esme knew they looked on each other as the closest that people could be to brother and sister without the biological connection. And indeed, Esme herself looked on Tanya as almost a sister as well.

Esme smiled sincerely. "It's wonderful to see you, Tanya. How was your drive?"

"Long and boring. It's so nice to be out of the car finally. How are you all?"

"We're fine. Edward and Bella should be back tomorrow. Alice and Jasper are upstairs. Jacob took Renesme into town to pick up some things. Rosealie and Emmet are out hunting. And Carlisle is in his office on a consultation call. He said he'd probably be a while."

"You know, I think I'll go see if I can find Rose and Emmet. It's been a while since I ate, and I'm rather feeling the effects of it. Need to run and burn off some energy as well, after sitting still for so long."

Esme laughed. "OK, just come on in when you're done hunting. Hopefully Carlisle will be off the phone by then."

Tanya took her time, running and taking down a couple of deer. She was in no real hurry, after all. She'd called Kate after talking with Esme, letting her know that she was at the Cullens and would be home in a couple of days.

By the time she'd returned from hunting, Jake and Renesme were not yet back, but Emmet and Rosalie were home. Emmet enveloped her in a hug, and Rose smiled. As vain as Rosalie could be, Tanya always suspected a large part of it was just a ruse. Tanya could see the hurt and insecurity in Rose's eyes from time to time; but it would always disappear when Emmet was around. As with all the others, those two were so deeply in love it made the ache that Tanya felt deep inside so much more painful.

Alice greeted Tanya with a hug of her own, babbling on about how they really _must_ go shopping at_ least_ once during Tanya's visit. Tanya laughed, but noticed that there seemed to be something forced in Alice's tone of voice, and her eyes looked troubled. She filed the thought away for later.

Carlisle was indeed off the phone, and greeted her as warmly as Esme had. Then he ushered her up to his office. Closing the door, he turned to her, gesturing to the couch that ran along a wall under a window. "How was the drive, Tanya?"

She sat down and smiled. "OK, but boring." It felt so nice to be sitting and talking with Carlisle again. It had been so long. She hadn't visited the Cullens much since the wedding, preferring to keep her thoughts and emotions to herself, nursing her hurt pride. She had missed just talking.

Carlisle sat down next to her. They engaged in small talk for a while, she telling him about the doings of the Denalis, and he, in turn, discussing his family's activities. After a few minutes, he paused. "So, Esme says you've run across a problem you need some help figuring out. Tell me about it."

Tanya fidgeted. "Well, yes." She took a deep breath. "As you know, I tend to take a…vacation every year around this time. Last night, I was in a bar, looking for some, er, company." Carlisle did, indeed, know both what this time of year did to her, and what she was implying. But just smiled sadly, withholding any judgmental looks or words.

"I noticed someone who looked about as miserable as I felt, and struck up a conversation with him." She leaned closer to Carlisle, and lowered her voice so that it was barely audible, and thought that maybe she should have suggested going somewhere outside of the house for a bit more privacy. But then she heard music blaring downstairs, along with the sounds of a video game and boisterous talking and laughing, and knew that the rest of the family was doing what they could to give them that privacy.

Tanya told Carlisle everything about the conversation she'd had with the mysterious Sean. Carlisle listened without interrupting, nodding now and then. When she was finished, he sat back, arms folded and frowning a little.

"So what do you think?" She asked. "Should I be worried? Do you think he's some sort of spy?"

"I'm not entirely sure what to think, frankly. I have heard whispered rumors of, well, other things before-other entities, if you will-especially whilst I was staying in Europe. Usually I just chalked them up to folklore and such. But your story…I mean, this Sean is obviously not human, or not entirely, from your description of how his eyes changed, if nothing else. And his age."

"Yes, what is his age? I mean, when did the Romans leave Hadrian's Wall? What in the world IS 'Hadrian's Wall' anyway?" Tanya was very eager to know when Sean had been born.

Carlisle smiled. "Hadrian's Wall was a defensive stone fortification that the Romans built across northern England to keep the Picts contained in Scotland. It was a huge stone wall, with forts running along the length of it, and had probably ten thousand Roman soldiers stationed within them." He paused, and laughed, somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry for the mini-history lesson. The Romans abandoned it sometime before 410 AD, so your Sean was born in at least 409 then."

Tanya's breath caught, probably caused by the fact that Sean must be over 1600 years old. But she had also noticed the terminology Carlisle had used—"your" Sean, he'd said. Sean was not "hers", she thought. Silly of her to get so worked up by a casual word that way. "No wonder he reminded me of Marcus; he sounded so tired, and weary." She shook her head. "Can you imagine the things he has seen in his life? No wonder he knew my accent was so old."

Carlisle leaned forward. "Tanya, you know you're like family to me, every bit as much as the people who live here. I don't mean to pry, so if I'm out of line, just tell me. But…well, you're not falling for this man, are you? I know what the situation with Edward has done to you, and I couldn't stand to see you hurt again. I really couldn't."

Tanya heard the loud sounds still emanating from downstairs, and smiled, grateful that she could continue with their private conversation. She figured they would keep it up until she and Carlisle appeared downstairs again.

"You know, Carlisle, I would not be completely honest if I said I wasn't jealous of all of you. I mean, You saw Esme and knew she was the one for you. Same thing happened with Rose and Emmet, Edward and Bella, Kate and Garret, even Carmen and Eleazer. For heaven's sake, Alice saw Jasper _before_ they met and still she knew! I can't deny that I always hoped for that, or something like it, to happen with me. I thought it might have when I met Edward, but I was wrong."

She shook her head again. "No, that's not at all how I feel now. I've _never_ felt this way before. Sean intrigues me, yes, but nothing more than that. At least, I don't think so. There _is_ something about him, something I can't quite put my finger on, but I have no idea what it could be. It's definitely not like how you all felt when you met "the ones" for you. Or so I would assume, never having felt that way before." She felt the bitterness trying to creep back in, and wisely decided to change the subject.

"At any rate, what do you suggest we do? If somehow the Volturi found out, they might try and find Sean. Whatever I may or may not feel for him, I certainly don't want _that_ to happen! Also, his inference about death hanging around him as well as around me almost makes me wonder if he could be a threat to us. I honestly don't think so, but the possibility does exist nonetheless."

Now Carlisle shook his head. "No, I would agree with you about that. From your description of his reaction, he seemed more interested than angry. Of course, never having met him myself I could be wrong. But from what you've told me I don't think he'd try to come after us. He doesn't appear to be antagonistic towards vampires, even if he has no experience with our kind." Carlisle paused. "That fact intrigues me as well. How can he be half vampire and yet not know of our kind?"

"I don't know. It does seem strange. And he said he knew thousands of vampires. What in the world can that mean?"

They grew silent, both contemplating numerous possibilities. Finally, Carlisle said, "I think I'll talk it over with the family, get their reactions and ideas. It would be good if you could stay long enough for that. Edward and Bella should be back tomorrow, and we could talk about it then."

"That's fine. I planned to stay for a couple of days anyway. I miss all of you, and visits between us are so infrequent. Too bad we don't live closer."

They headed downstairs. Jacob and Renesme were finally home and Renesme launched herself at Tanya with a cry of, "Auntie!"

Tanya caught her, laughing, and gave her a kiss on the check as Renesme put her arms as far around her as they could go. "I've missed you so much! When can I come to your house and visit you?"

"Well, that's up to your Daddy and Mommy. And Jacob," she added, smiling at him over Renesme's shoulder. He grimaced back, more out of deep-seated concern over the fact that his imprint was being held by a vampire. He trusted Tanya with her, of course, but still—the old dislikes died hard.

Alice dragged Tanya off to go shopping the rest of the afternoon. Esme and Rose declined the invite, so it ended up just being the two of them that went. To her dismay, Tanya noticed that Alice still appeared to be forcing her happiness. Finally, as they drove back to the Cullens, Tanya asked her what was wrong.

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong! I've been having a great time shopping with you! You really need to visit more often, so we can do this more. The other girls don't like it, especially Bella. It's like pulling teeth to get her to go anywhere these days!"

"Alice, please tell me…I know something is going through your mind. What is it?"

Alice sighed. "I don't know. It's not something definite; I can't tell what it is. I see you talking to someone, but it's blurry. I can't make it out. It's a man, that much I can tell. But he's all fuzzy; I can't make out any features. Like a TV that's on the wrong channel." She glanced at Tanya. "What's going on?"

Briefly, Tanya filled Alice in on her discussion with Carlisle. Alice nodded when she was done. "Well, I guess that explains why I can't seem to see much. You're clear in the visions, and you look happy enough…certainly not in any danger. But it bothers me, because I've never had anything like this before. With the wolves, there's nothing. With everything else, it's all perfectly clear. I don't like it."

Tanya wasn't sure what to make of it either.

Tanya left the following evening, in the middle of a thunderstorm. The family meeting had gone well, although most had a different approach to it all. Emmet wanted to go find this Sean, and make him tell them everything. Jake, while vaguely agreeing with Emmet, seemed mostly concerned with making sure Sean was no threat to Renesme. Rose was upset that yet another human (or something at least partly human) was again causing a crisis for them. Bella didn't have much to say at all.

Alice was mostly silent after telling everyone about her visions, and how she couldn't see the person clearly. While none were sure it was Sean Alice had seen, they all agreed it probably was.

Jasper sided with Carlisle on the "wait and see" side of things, as did Esme, but he also sided with Emmet a bit in that he thought they should all be more on the alert. Edward went with the wait but alert angle as well, although he also shared a bit of Jacob's point of view in regard to the safety of his family. So despite the lack of a true consensus, the wait-yet-prepare plan was adopted. The other wolves would be alerted as well, so that they could be added to the general watchfulness. So they were no closer to any answers than when she had arrived.

As Tanya walked out to her car, disappointed that so much was still uncertain but feeling better in spite of it, Jacob was sitting on the porch (it being far past Renesme's bed time). Trying to be nice, he called, "Have a nice drive home, Tanya."

She stopped and turned to him. "Thank you, Jacob. And, thank you for taking such good care of Renesme. I know I don't need to tell you this, of all people; but she is a very precious child. And I'm glad you're here, watching over her."

Jacob was taken aback by her words, and unsure of how to reply. "Um…you're welcome?"

Tanya smiled. "Maybe you and her parents can bring her up for a visit sometime."

"Ur…yeah, maybe." He hadn't sounded so sure.

"Goodbye, Jacob." Tanya got into her car and started it up. She was surprised how, after all these years of pining after Edward, she had been unbothered seeing Edward and Bella so affectionate together. Alice had told her that her time would come, someday. Tanya knew Alice was just trying to make her feel better; Alice hadn't said she'd foreseen it, after all. Tanya no longer believed it herself. She sighed as she put the car in gear, starting her long drive home. Home…it had a nice ring to it.

Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper were watching from the window as she drove away. Carlisle sighed. "I'm worried. Worried that she is so desperate for love that she's falling for this person she met. We know so little about him. The Volturi have been after all of us for so long. It could be a trap of some sort."

Edward shook his head. "Don't worry about Tanya. Her thoughts didn't indicate she felt she was in love. She's intrigued by him, but it's more because of his resistance to her…charms than by anything else. She does find him attractive, though. In fact, she's given up on ever finding love. Consciously at least."

"I didn't sense any love coming from her," Jasper told them. "She feels confused more than anything."

Carlisle sighed again. "Well, I guess now we just watch and wait."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay in postings. I've been busy. Life happens, and all that. And blah-blah-blah, I don't own Twilight or its characters; I only own Sean and the plot. **

"_History became legend; legend became myth. And some things were forgotten that should not have been." -Lord of the Rings_

Three months had passed uneventfully since Tanya's visit. Nothing happened. Everything continued as it had been. The Cullens kept in touch with the Denalis; phone calls between Carlisle and Tanya mostly. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary was a report from the wolves. They said that the woods "seemed more crowded". No one was sure what they meant by that, and neither the wolves nor Jacob could really explain exactly what they meant either.

"It's just a weird feeling," Jacob said one evening. "I don't know how to say it other than that: the woods feel more crowded. And watchful. We can't smell anything new, at least no vampire scents. Nothing seems dangerous or antagonistic towards us. There are no reports of hikers or campers disappearing, or anything like that. It just feels…crowded. Sometimes we see shadows flitting between trees; but when we go for a closer look, there's never anything there. And most nights, we swear we hear whisperings high up in the leaves and treetops; and every once in a while, murmuring and soft laugher coming from a long way off. But like I said, there's nothing to be found. We just don't get it."

"Weird," Emmet replied.

And Emmet's deep comment was all anyone could offer on the matter.

One morning, as Carlisle arrived at the hospital for his rounds in the midst of a downpour, Mrs. Williams, the nurse who was on reception duty at the time, hurried over to him. "Oh thank Heaven, Dr. Cullen, I'm so glad you're here!"

Carlisle was a little surprised at her attitude, which seemed to be one of worry. Even though Mrs. Williams was older—and married—she still usually had that acceleration of heart rate and dreamy look on her face when around Carlisle. But not today. Her heartbeat was accelerated, yes, but not because of his presence. He glanced casually around the waiting room, and noted there were no patients at the moment. "What's wrong, Mrs. Williams?"

She frowned, and he noticed she was wringing her hands. "There's someone here to see you…a man…he said it's important."

A loud clap of thunder reverberated through he building. Carlisle again glanced around the conspicuously empty waiting room, a bit more pointedly this time. "Well, where is he, then?"

The look of worry on her face changed to one of shame mixed with a bit of fear. "He—he's in your office, Doctor." She sounded hesitant to tell him that.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow at that news.

"I'm sorry, Doctor!" Mrs. Williams uncharacteristically wailed. "I—I don't know what came over me. He was most persistent. And…and very persuasive." She blushed. Carlisle wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or something else.

"Did he say what he wanted?"

The nurse was still wringing her hands in agitation. "No, but he said you'd want to talk to him. Said his name was Sean."

A flash of light outside the doors was instantly followed by a very loud clap of thunder. Carlisle glanced through the double doors he'd just entered. The storm was right overhead. Perhaps in more ways than one. Excitement, as well as feelings of protection, surged through him. Excitement because the mystery man they'd all been wondering about for months was sitting right in his office. Hopefully, explanations were at hand. Carlisle enjoyed discovering things. His inquisitive mind was always on the lookout for new, undiscovered people and ideas, and this was potentially the greatest discovery of his long life—the chance to meet an entirely new being, who'd walked the earth far longer than he himself had, yet managed to remain hidden for all those centuries.

"Thank you, Mrs. Williams. I'll take care of it."

"I—I hope I didn't do wrong by letting him go to your office, Doctor." The poor woman was still wringing her hands. Carlisle smiled in an effort to reassure her.

"Well, it's not exactly standard protocol, but it's alright this time. He was right—I have been waiting to talk to him. Please hold all my calls, Mrs. Williams."

The look on her face was so intense that, despite not having Jasper's gift, Carlisle could almost feel the woman's relief. He smiled again, and turned to walk back to the office section of the small hospital.

The feelings of protection that surged through his mind were another matter altogether. Carlisle worried about the safety of his family, including Tanya. If this "Sean" did indeed present a danger to any of his loved ones, he needed to know. He also knew that he might not be able to handle things on his own, should Sean turn out to be an enemy. Carlisle seriously doubted that, but still—best to be prepared. He took out his phone and called home, speaking fast so that Mrs. Williams would not be able to make it out. Then he put his phone away, sighed, and opened his door.

A man was seated in one of the chairs facing Carlisle's desk. He stood and turned with a pleasant smile as Carlisle entered.

"Dr. Cullen, it's an honor to finally meet you." He held out his hand and Carlisle shook it. As Tanya had said, this Sean smelled vaguely human, but yet somehow off, somehow not quite human. Better than normal humans smelled, in fact. Carlisle's mind raced through everything Tanya had told him three months earlier.

He moved behind his desk, setting his bag down and taking a seat. "Well, it's exciting for me to meet you, as well, Mr…."

Sean flashed a smile. "Murphy. Sean Murphy. Tanya told me a lot about you during our brief meeting. I can only assume that she told you about me as well."

"Well, er…yes, yes she did. How did you know that?"

Another smile. "It makes sense: a strange man in a bar, pumping her for information about her life and family. Nowadays one can't be too careful. I would have done the same if I had been in her situation. In fact, my family and I did indeed talk a lot about you and yours. And to be honest, I'm here to get a little bit more information from you."

Direct and to the point. Carlisle could respect that. He admired that in a person. No subterfuge, no lies, no pointless small talk. Just cut right to the heart of the matter. But Carlisle wanted to stall for time before diving into the situation, stalling for time until he had someone else with him to judge if what this Sean person said was true or not. He understood from his talk with Tanya that this man couldn't read minds, so that was something…he wouldn't be able to hear Carlisle's thoughts.

"Well, I'll be whatever help I can. Of course, you must understand that we are a bit concerned over the situation as well, and would in turn like a little more information about you and _your_ family as well."

There was a slight pause. Sean cocked his head a bit, almost as if he were listening to something far away. Then he turned his eyes to Carlisle with another smile. "I'll tell you what I can, at least enough to hopefully set your mind at least regarding the safety of your loved ones. Believe me when I say I understand how you feel in that regard. What would you like to know?"

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Sean hesitated a moment, then smiled. "Calling in reinforcements, Doctor? A wise precaution, but not necessary in this case, I assure you." He hesitated yet again, once more coking his head as if listening. Then he smirked, and shook his head slightly.

"Come in," Carlisle said. The door opened and Jasper entered. Carlisle relaxed a little as he saw Jasper, who, with a soldier's instinct, glanced immediately at Sean. "Edward couldn't make it," Jasper informed Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded. "Mr. Sean Murphy, allow me to introduce my son, Jasper."

Sean stood and turned to face Jasper, smiling again. But as their eyes met, Sean's smile faltered for a moment. Then a look of recognition replaced the confusion; he reached out to grasp Jasper's hand with both of his own.

"Major Whitlock! It's wonderful to see you again!"

Carlisle and Jasper were both rather taken aback at this announcement. "Do I know you, sir?" Jasper asked, staring at Sean with confusion.

"You don't remember me? Captain Murphy? Commander of the CSS _Alabama_? We met briefly at that reception a few nights before the battle of Galveston. I left the next day, and when I returned to port a couple weeks later, I heard that you were missing and presumed dead." He took a step back and looked Jasper up and down. Then he shrugged. "I see the assessment was technically accurate. But not wholly so. You can't imagine what a pleasure it is to see you again! It's truly a small world, isn't it? I never once held out hope like this." Sean resumed his seat as Jasper took the chair next to him. Jasper was staring at Sean, frowning, as he tried to recall that night so long ago.

Then he laughed. "Yes, I remember now. You were intrigued over the fact that I was already a Major at my age." Then his memories took him back to that night, and how even then he had sensed something odd about the Captain who had laughed so loudly at all the jokes, flirted and danced with the ladies, pressed him for information about his life, and ignored all food and drink in the room. He'd found it strange then; but with so much happening to him so soon after that night, he had never thought of it again…until this very moment, there in Carlisle's office, 150 some years later.

Jasper was getting feelings of genuine pleasure rolling off the stranger, and not a hint of hostility was to be felt. So either this Sean Murphy was an incredibly good faker, or his intentions were honorable. Jasper relaxed a little, yet still kept his guard up.

Sean laughed. "Yes, that was me. I'm afraid I've always been too nosy for my own good. Runs in the family, I guess." Then he turned serious. "I look forward to being able to catch up with you, Major, but right now I need to know a few things of more immediate concern." He turned back to Carlisle. "I would very much like to know everything you can tell me about these…what was the name Tanya called them…Volturi?"

Carlisle glanced at Jasper. "May I ask why you want to know about them?"

"We believe it is very important to know one's enemy before one can safely move against them."

Carlisle leaned forward, and Jasper's eyes narrowed. "Do I understand you correctly? Are you and your…people going to move against the Volturi? That would be dangerous and unadvisable, on the surface. Yet…you might be able to do something against them; we still know so little about you."

Sean sighed. "If it would put your minds at ease, Doctor and Major, ask me anything you wish. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer everything; but I will tell you what I can, and hope it puts your fears to rest."

Carlisle thought it over. There were so many things he wanted to ask, and didn't know where to start. Which questions were important for the situation, and which were merely curiosities of his medical mind? He thought over the scant things he'd learned from Tanya. No sense asking things he already knew the answers to.

Carlisle was saved by Jasper. "Why do you want to attack the Volturi?"

Sean smiled. "We don't necessarily 'want' to attack them. But if the situation should arise, we want to know as much about them as possible." Then he frowned, and added, almost as an afterthought, "Besides, they have hurt Tanya much over the years. And as I understand it, they have designs against your family as well. In light of the protectiveness you all seem to feel towards one another, I would think that you would wish for all the allies you could possible find."

Carlisle leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "Well, yes, it is always good to find friends as support against possible scenarios in which battle would be needed. We allied with the wolves against an army of newborns that was sent to destroy us, and the Volturi, while not being behind the incident, did wait until the fight was over. We think they were hoping that at least some of us would be destroyed, thus weakening us enough for them to perhaps move against us."

"They killed a newborn who had surrendered to us, and wanted to learn our ways," Jasper put in. "I think they were afraid of us growing even stronger. And they've been trying to provoke the Denali's into a fight for ages now. I think they want to get them to fight, hoping that we will be drawn in and then they can take both our covens out in one move, and make some of us part of their guard."

Sean's face grew dark. "Why do you sit here and allow such a group of evil people to go on existing and lording their imagined authority over you? Not to mention indiscriminately killing your kind, as well as massacring large groups of humans when they need to feed. It sounds as though they are constantly planning to remove you all. Why not strike first?"

Carlisle sighed. "It's not that easy. First of all, I abhor violence. I'm a healer, not a killer."

"Oh yes you are," Sean interrupted, a smile playing on his lips. "You are all killers by nature. Even as I am."

Carlisle ignored the comment, but Jasper bristled a little. "Second, now that Bella has her shield, it will be extremely difficult for them to succeed in whatever plans they could come up with. Also, not all the other covens would join us. Some are loyal to the Volturi, and most of the others are afraid of them."

"Your Bella's shield will only be effective as long as you all stay together. Any time you are alone, or away from Bella, you are vulnerable."

"I like the way you think," Jasper said. Here was another mind with military ideas.

"These wolves I heard tell of don't seem to be afraid."

"No, but they are suspicious of us, because of what we are. The only reason they helped us fight the newborn army was because humans in the area were at risk from that threat as well. Also, they are tasked more with protecting their tribe than just randomly fighting vampires. And they are susceptible to the gifts of the Volturi's Guard. The Guard is why the Volturi remains so powerful. Aro, the main leader of the Volturi, spend much of his time looking for talented vampires and humans—those with unique ablilites-to add to the Guard."

Sean considered Carlisle's comment for a moment. "So if this Guard were to be weakened or removed, the Volturi would be vulnerable to attack?"

"Well, yes."

Sean grinned and leaned forward eagerly. "So tell us everything you can about the Guard."

Carlisle glanced at Jasper, who nodded. "I say we give him all the info we can. Carlisle, you know they want Edward and Bella and…and Alice. Heck, they even want me. And they don't care what they have to do to get us. I'll die before I join them, or let them hurt my Alice."

Carlisle sighed again. "Very well. As much as it might run counter to my feelings, there are times when violence is needed to protect the innocent. And Jasper is right: Aro has not disguised his desire to have certain members of my family added to his Guard." He glanced at Jasper again. "We'll tell you everything we know."

And for the next hour or so, Carlisle and Jasper went into a detailed description of the Volturi Coven, Carlisle on the practical aspects such as the layout of their castle and each member's particular gifts, while Jasper commented on their emotional characteristics and various tactical moves he had noticed over the years.

When they were finished, Sean was grinning like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. "Thank you both very much. I think we have more than enough to take step against the Vloturi now. Thank you both very much."

"Why do you always speak in the plural?" Jasper had noticed that Sean never said "I", but instead it was "we", or "us".

Sean turned to him. "My family is never far away. My great Grandfather is their leader, and they are very protective of his line. Sometimes, it gets annoying. One rarely has very much privacy."

"I know the feeling," Jasper muttered, causing Sean to smile.

"Yes, Tanya mentioned that you have a mind-reader among you." He turned back to Carlisle. "You have been very open, so I will tell you a little now. My family is very old, very powerful, very, _very_ large, and very talented. Though my father was a vampire, my mother herself was only half-human. Her mother, my grandmother, is of the Tuatha De Dannan."

The name meant nothing to Jasper, but Carlisle's eyes widened and he gasped. "The Children of the Goddess Danu! The 'Fairy Folk' of the Irish? Incredible! In England, we heard much about your kind, but it was always either whispered in reverence, or spoken of as fairy tales. I had no idea it was true, that there were still some of those beings walking the earth."

"There are many of us mixed bloods walking and living among you. But the Pure Strains have only recently begun to re-emerge once more. We have walked abroad among the humans for centuries, acting as the eyes and ears of our Sires, who had withdrawn deep into their mounds and caverns, largely forgotten in the minds of mortals. And the minds of Immortals, too, it would appear."

Jasper was still not sure what Sean was talking about. It filled him with some vague, nameless fear. Besides, Fairies? How could little creatures with wings possibly help them fight against the Volturi? But Carlisle seemed to actually be a bit relieved at the news Sean had just given them.

Sean stood. "I really must be going. I have another stop to make before returning home. My associates will relay this information to the King, and we will see what needs to be done to contain any potential threat these Volturi parasites may pose."

He smiled apologetically. "I am afraid that, like your wolf friends, my family is not over-fond of vampires either. They respect and are loyal to me because I am of the Royal House. Otherwise, they wouldn't care one bit for me."

Carlisle stood and walked with Sean to the door. ""It will be a huge shock for Aro and Caius to discover that the Fey have begun to walk the earth again. It may cause them to react in anger. And if they even thought we were helping you, they wouldn't hesitate to move against us. As Jasper said earlier, they're just looking for an excuse." He paused a moment. "I truly fear for my family."

Sean turned and put a comforting hand on Carlisle's shoulder. "Don't. We are not going to march into Volterra and alert them to our presence. Also, we will double our watch, both here and in Alaska. The Volturi will not be able to get past our sentries. Ever since I first met Tanya, we have greatly increased our numbers around you. Mostly to find out more about your ways, but also as protection, after what Tanya told me."

Carlisle snapped his fingers. "Of course—the forest! The wolves told us it felt more crowded."

Sean smiled again. "Yes, they are sensing our people. It might be good if you told them to ignore it. Please assure them, as best you can, that we pose no threat to them whatsoever. And maybe give them a heads up that the crowded feeling is about to increase."

Sean turned to go. "One last thing, Sean," Carlisle said softly. Sean turned back to face him.

"I…I …Sean, Tanya is very dear to me, so I must ask…what are your intentions toward her?"

Sean stared blankly at him. "My…intentions? I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

"What are your feelings toward her? She was hurt by Edward—unintentionally, I know, but hurt nonetheless. And hurt badly. One can't help if they don't feel love toward someone who feels love for them, of course, as in the case of Edward and Tanya. She loved him, he didn't love her. Tanya's heart is wounded and vulnerable, and I couldn't bear to see her hurt again."

Realization dawned in Sean's eyes. "Oh, I see now. Yes, she told me a lot about that situation. I could see the hurt in her myself. And I would rather gouge my eyes out than cause her more pain." He mused a moment. "She is an intriguing woman. Beautiful, intelligent, loyal. In the brief time we spent together, I found in her a kindred spirit of sorts. I want to get to know her better, in pursuit of a friendship. I will take whatever steps are needed to guard her heart from pain again, especially pain caused by me. But I don't think there's any need for worry. In some ways, sadly, her heart still belongs to Edward, as mine still does to…someone in my past. No, two wounded people won't want to go down that path again, I assure you."

Carlisle, however, wasn't convinced. He knew Tanya well, after all. Much better than Sean, for all his perceptiveness, did. But he didn't say that. He nodded, shook Sean's hand, and with a promise to return and update them soon, Sean left. Carlisle returned to his desk. "What do you think, Jasper? Is he trustworthy?"

"I think so. I didn't sense anything from him but openness and a desire for friendship, both with you and Tanya. Not a trace of deceit at all." He smiled. "I also didn't sense any feelings of love towards Tanya, Carlisle. As he said, he's intrigued by her. Maybe even drawn to her. But no romance. He radiates angst as far as romance goes. It was so strong I could almost taste it. So try and not fret over that."

Carlisle still wasn't convinced. He sighed. "Would you mind heading home and letting the others know about our talk with Sean? We can have a family meeting when I get home this evening, to talk it all over. I'm going to call Tanya and fill her in as well." He walked back behind his desk as Jasper left. There was still so little they knew, but he felt better after his talk with Sean.

But as he was reaching for the phone, Nurse Williams stuck her head in the room. "Doctor, are you finished talking to that man?"

Carlisle looked up at her in surprise. "Yes, he left several minutes ago."

Nurse Williams frowned. "That's very strange, he didn't go out the front door. The only person who's gone by was your son just now."

Carlisle filed that away for later. "Well, what was it you needed, Mrs. WIlliams?"

"Oh, yes, an emergency patient was just brought in, a little boy, so I was wondering if you were available now."

Carlisle stood and put his lab coat on. "Yes, let's go help the boy." He followed her out to the lobby. And that was the start of a busy day for him. He wasn't able to make the call to Tanya until late that afternoon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Right, here's the next chapter then. Sorry these are so wordy and talky...action is coming soon, I promise. Blah-blah-disclaimer-blah. Honestly-is there ANYONE who thinks I'm SM? Seriously? anyone at all? And not making any $$$ with this either...wow, if you could make money from Fanfiction, it would be weird. O_o**

"Tanya, are you _positive_ you don't want to go shopping in Anchorage with us?"

Tanya laughed. "For the last time, Kate, no! I've got lots to do round here. You two go off and enjoy yourselves."

Kate stood there, torn between leaving her sister home alone and spending time alone with Garret. There had been something different about Tanya the last few months, ever since she'd come back from her trip south to visit the Cullens. Kate wasn't the only one who thought so; the others had noticed it as well. She was still sad, but a bit of life had returned to her. Tanya hadn't said what had happened, and Kate assumed it was the usual trysts with as many human men that she'd been able to find.

Poor Tanya. Irina's death had been hard on both of them, but it seemed to have struck Tanya particularly hard. Especially coming so soon after Edward and Bella's marriage. At least Kate had Garret, Carmen had Eleazar. In fact, everyone in the family had their someone's...Even little Renesme. But not Tanya. Kate knew that Tanya had finally given up on finding anyone; she'd told Kate that upon her return to Denali from the Cullens a few months prior. Perhaps that was why Tanya seemed to have a little bit of life back in her—she'd finally come to the point where she felt she could move on .

But Kate still felt somewhat guilty about leaving her alone. "Well, if you're positive."

Tanya smiled and shook her head. "Go, sister. Have fun. And please don't worry about me. Carmen and Eleazar will be home early this afternoon, and I have plenty to keep me busy until they get here. After they're home, I am certain to be subjected to hearing every detail of their trip, along with pictures. Let me enjoy some peace and quiet for a few hours."

Kate smile and hugged her sister. Then turned and dashed downstairs. She was thrilled to be able to spend some alone time with Garret, but didn't want to appear too happy in front of Poor Tanya.

But poor Tanya knew anyway, and as Kate headed off, Tanya sighed. She was tired of being thought of as "Poor Tanya". She had to find some way of getting people to stop looking at her in that light. She wasn't poor…she had a wonderful family, great friends, and a full life. Maybe a hobby of some kind could keep her distracted and get people to stop with the "poor Tanya" thoughts. But what?

When she was done with the straightening and cleaning she felt needed to be done, she retired to the study, fired up the computer and started searching topics of interest to her. Maybe she could find some way to keep dust from accumulating. One would think that in Alaska dust wouldn't be a problem. But it was. Hmm…what about Botany? There was lots of variety among plants. Or maybe chemistry. That could be interesting; provided she didn't accidentally blow the house up. Perhaps she could find a formula for a high-explosive that would blow the Volturi's palace to bits.

Truth be told, that was what bothered her the most—her hatred of the Volturi. She knew it was turning into a dangerous obsession. Yes, she longed for a mate, someone to go shopping with, talk to and tell all of her thoughts and secrets, someone who would love her, and she them. It was still hard living with four other so-happy people. But the Volturi…that was the big thing she pondered night and day, whenever she allowed herself a free moment. She couldn't get it out of her head. Her mother, Irina, even Vasili. Oh, how she hated them! And then there were the not-too-veiled threats against the Cullens. And threats against she and Kate as well; they made no secret that they hated Tanya and her sister, and were just itching for any excuse to kill them. Everyone still on earth that she held dear was in danger from the Volturi. She also knew that Aro and Caius were just biding their time and waiting for an reason to take out both the Denalis and the Cullens. They were disappointed the birth of Renesme had not afforded them that reason.

She had been alternating between surfing the net and fuming over the arrogance of the Volturi for a couple hours and didn't realize it had been that long, until she heard the door bang, and Carmen call out, "WE'RE BAAAACK!" She breezed into the room, and Tanya stood up to give her a hug.

"How was the trip home?"

Carmen sighed and flopped down on the bed. "Oh, it was wonderful to visit our old homeland! So wonderful! But, it's good to be home now. We missed all of you…even Garret." She winked and Tanya laughed. Garret had been the subject of light-hearted teasing by Carmen and Tanya since he had moved in with them, much to Kate's annoyance.

"Well, things here have been quiet. Rather boring, actually. Speaking of which, I'm trying to find a new hobby, and I'm stumped. Any suggestions?"

"What's wrong with your old hobby of men?"

Tanya waved her hand. "Pft. Men only bring temporary pleasure. And heartache. I need something interesting, exciting."

"How about bungee jumping?"

Tanya frowned at Carmen's smirk. "Very funny. I'm serious. I need a hobby. Our lives can get so boring with nothing to do. I need something that peaks my interest."

Carmen smiled a bit sadly. She nearly told Tanya that what she needed was a mate, but wisely held her tongue. Tanya had so much love to give, but she didn't need to be reminded of the fact that all the others were paired up and she wasn't. Carmen wondered if at long last Tanya had finally given up on the idea of romance. If she had, Carmen found it hopeful in one sense, terribly sad in another.

"Bird watching then. There are many species of avians around these parts. And you could travel to different places to see rare types."

"Only if you all went with me. I don't like traveling alone." Tanya thought a moment, then shook her head. "No, I would probably get too bored too quickly watching birds." She sighed and turned back to the computer. "Oh well, I have time. Sooner or later, something will catch my interest."

Carmen watched her a moment more, then stood. "Well, come down stairs in a little while. We bought you and Kate some lovely souvenirs. Garret, also. By the way, where are those two?"

"They went into Anchorage for the day," Tanya replied absentmindedly, staring intently at the screen. "Doing some shopping and sightseeing. Garret had never been there before. And I'll be down in a minute."

Tanya was so engrossed with her internet search that her minute turned into ten minutes before she knew it. Suddenly, Carmen was back at the doorway.

"Um, Tanya? There's…there's someone here to see you. A man." The tone of Carmen's voice was one of confusion, and if Tanya had been paying closer attention she might have noticed. But she didn't.

"I'm not expecting any visitors," she replied.

Carmen lowered her voice. "It's a human! Tanya, what in the world are you doing giving humans our address? What if Garret can't handle it?"

That got her attention. She turned to Carmen, frowning. "What are you talking about? I'd never just hand out our address to anyone, let alone a human! I'm not crazy." She turned back to the computer screen. "What's this mystery man look like?

"Well, not bad for a human. Not bad at all. Probably the best looking human I've ever seen, in fact. And he has the most amazing green eyes."

Tanya laughed. "Really? Maybe I should come down and see. I've never met anyone with…_green eyes_?" Suddenly, Tanya remembered someone that she had indeed given out their address to. She spun in her chair and ran to Carmen, taking her by the shoulders. "Did you say he had green eyes?"

"Yes. Very green."

There was a loud clap of thunder.

Tanya stifled a gasp. No point in freaking Carmen out. She dragged Carmen into the room, shut the door, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "It must be Sean, the guy I told you all about? The one I met in the bar?"

Carmen's expression remained puzzled for a moment, before being replaced by a knowing smile. "Ah, I remember now! The one you were worried about, and stopped to tell the Cullens of?"

"Yes, that one! I wonder what he's doing here?" Tanya began to wring her hands.

Carmen smiled knowingly again. "He's probably here to see you. After all, you did invite him, remember?"

"Invite him?" Tanya repeated. "Well, yes, in a manner of speaking."

Carmen laughed. "No manner of speaking! You practically begged him to visit!"

"But…but I thought maybe he would just come in a year! I—this is just so unexpected." She began pacing the room. "What should I do?"

Carmen guided her towards the door. "Go down and say hello to him, perhaps?"

Tanya jerked back from Carmen as if she'd been slapped. "What? Are you crazy? Look at me! I'm a mess!" She hurried to the closet, yanked the door open, and started tossing dresses out, looking for the perfect one. Then she stopped and sighed. Embarrassed, she turned to Carmen again. "Oh what an idiot I am, running around like a school girl. Or like Alice. It's not as if there's anything between us. We're barely even friends—more like acquaintances." She smiled and headed for the door, a determined look on her face.

Carmen followed behind. When they descended the stairs into the living room, they saw Sean. He was looking out the window, his back to them. Before she reached the bottom of the steps, he turned and smiled. Tanya's breath was lost for just a brief moment at the sight of his face.

Quickly regaining her composure, she smiled and held out her hand. "Sean! What a pleasant surprise! It hasn't been a year yet…I didn't expect to see you so soon. How are you?"

Sean took her hand gently and pressed his lips to the back of it. "I am well, Miss Tanya. I trust the same can be said for you? As for my visit, you did say at _least_ in a year. I hope my visit hasn't inconvenienced you?" He was still smiling, and if Tanya had been able to, she would have been blushing profusely.

"Yes, I'm quite well, thank you." That strange feeling she had gotten back in the bar returned in full force. She stood there staring at him as he continued to smile back at her, until she heard a soft "ahem" behind her. At the same time, she realized that she was still holding his hand. Dropping it quickly, she stepped back and grabbed Carmen's arm. "Where are my manners? Sean, this is Carmen, one of my dearest friends. She's like a sister to me."

Carmen held out her hand to Sean. "A pleasure to meet you, Sean. Tanya has told us a lot about you."

Sean pressed his lips to Carmen's hand as well, then winked at Tanya. "Has she, now? It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Carmen. And I assume this is your husband?"

Eleazar had come up behind Carmen without them realizing it. He shook the hand that Sean held out. After an exchange of pleasantries on his part, Eleazar took Carmen into the other room. Tanya gestured at the couch, and she took a seat. Sean sat beside her, but at the opposite end of the couch. Tanya wasn't sure what to make of that, but inexplicably it hurt a little. Was he scared she'd bite him or something? "So Sean, what have you been up to lately?" Her attempt at casual small talk sounded flat in her ears.

"Oh, not too much. I've gone on a couple of trips, and an errand for my Grandfather. Done some research." He shrugged. "Nothing very exciting. How about you?"

"The same, nothing terribly exciting or interesting. Ah, the boring life of the immortal, right?" She smiled.

Sean returned it. He smiled a lot, Tanya noticed. But it was a nice smile, a warm and pleasant one, not phony at all. She liked it.

"Your life has been anything but boring, Miss Tanya," Sean murmured, frowning a little. He leaned forward. "Tanya, part of what I have been doing the last three months and 8 days since we met, indirectly involves you. We have been doing research into these Volturi you told me about. And we have come to the conclusion that they need to be watched closely. They are dangerous. Their leader, this Aro, or whatever his name is, he's too power hungry, too selfish, corrupt and brutal. We especially do not like the way they work, arbitrarily taking the law into their own hands, and treating the humans like cattle."

Tanya was shocked. "You're going to move against the Volturi?"

"No, not preemptively. Ordinarily, with the vampires we're familiar with, as long as they don't draw too much attention to their existence, nor indiscriminately massacre humans, or kill those under our protection, we let them govern themselves. But these Volturi—they are unlike any we have ever encountered. And if we feel the need arises, they will be dealt with."

Fear surged through Tanya at his words. She had already lost so much because of the Volturi. They were already thinking up ways to try and remove both she and Kate. If they suspected that she was in any way plotting against them, they wouldn't hesitate to kill all the Denalis, and most likely the Cullens as well. Aro was even contemplating ways of removing the Egyptians if it could be done discreetly.

Sean could see the fear in her eyes, and hung his head. "Forgive me, Lady. It was not my intention to cause you more fear and pain. Quite the opposite, actually."

He paused a moment, thinking. Then he stood and walked to the window, motioning for Tanya to join him. When she did, he was silent again for a moment, looking out at the landscape. "Are you at all familiar with the Bible story about Elisha, and how his servant could only see the enemy army that had them surrounded? And Elisha asked God to open his servant's eyes, so that he could see that the army guarding them was bigger than the one attacking them?"

Somewhere in her dim, distant recollection, Tanya did vaguely remember something of the sort. She nodded.

Sean smiled. "Tanya, what would you do if you saw the entire Volturi…eh, what's that word you use? Coven? What if you saw the entire Volturi coven walking down your driveway there?"

Tanya cringed at the thought. In her mind's eyes, she had already pictured such a sight many times. And it did not fill her with happiness, to say the least. "I'd be terrified. Not so much for myself. For me, I'd almost welcome it, and see how many of them I could take out before they destroyed me and put me out of my misery. But I would be terrified for my family and friends here with me."

His smile never fading, Sean held his hand out to her. Hesitantly, Tanya reached out and took it. Sean squeezed her hand reassuringly, closed his eyes a moment, then opened them. "I'm certainly not God, but… look outside again."

Tanya tore her gaze from Sean's eyes, and looked out the window. The driving rain couldn't stop her vampire eyes from seeing clearly. This time, she couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped her lips. It looked as if the entire forest around their house was alive. The trees writhed in a nonexistent wind, their shapes shifting—sometimes looking like trees, and other times like giant, beautiful people. Shadowy images that she couldn't make out clearly darted and flitted around the edges of the clearing. Figures floated through the air. Strange glowing animals watched both the house and the driveway. One of the figures darted up to the window, grinning. Tanya jumped back a little, and the creature laughed. Not meanly, just teasingly. In fact, it reminded her a bit of something Emmet would do.

The figure appeared to be a beautiful young girl, probably about 18 or so. She wore a filmy garment of some fabric Tanya did not recognize. Her somewhat golden skin and yellow hair glimmered despite the dark gloom of the heavy downpour. The girl cocked her head at Tanya, looking her up and down briefly. Then she curtsied to Sean before darting off again, moving faster than even a vampire could.

"What—_who_ are they?" Tanya asked, somewhat breathlessly, as she continued to watch the figures outside.

Sean watched, too, smiling affectionately. "My people…my family. Humans call them 'fairies', or sometimes The Fey. We have been on earth for millennia. Long before any vampires appeared —either your kind or the ones we already knew of. We are ancient and powerful. Born immortal, we can't die in any sense that even you would understand death to be. You know how old I am. Well, by my family's standards, I'm practically still a baby."

Tanya looked back at Sean. A baby? This gorgeous man was considered a baby? Wait a second…did she just call him gorgeous? She shook her head. "Why did that…girl curtsey to you?"

Sean blushed. He smelled wonderful. "Oh. You noticed that, did you? It's kind of embarrassing." Sean was really hesitant to continue. Tanya found it cute. "Well, you see, it's like this. My grandfather is the King. So they all have it in their heads to treat me like royalty or something. It's silly." He shook his head.

Still holding her hand, Sean guided her away from the window and back to the couch. They sat, and this time he sat right next to her, cradling her hand in both of his. His ever-present smile was gone, replaced with a serious expression. "Tanya, you must promise me something."

His tone of voice was so intense that she nearly said, "I promise you anything", but instead merely nodded her head.

"Whatever happens, _please_ let me and my associates deal with the Voltrui. Do _not_, under _any_ circumstances, attempt to engage them yourself. Please. You see that you and your family are well guarded here. Nothing can get through our people. Not even these Volturi. And please, if I feel it is necessary, I will send you a message. If I do, then under no circumstances are any you to venture beyond these woods until you receive the all clear from me. Okay? Please."

Tanya was a little confused at his words. But she nodded. "Okay, Sean. If you send a message, I promise we'll stay here." For some reason, she did trust Sean. Completely. At the same time, she had her family to worry about. "But what if it takes a while for you to let us know it's safe again? We'd do need to hunt on occasion."

Sean sighed. "Yes, of course. If need be, if the time is long, we can get you all the animals you would need. "

"I'll talk to the others. Kate and I have the most reason to hate the Volturi, but Carmen and Eleazar don't particularly like them, either."

The smile returned to Sean's face. "Good. Well, that's settled then. I hope."

At that moment, the front door banged open, and Kate walked in, followed by Garret, who was burdened with several packages and bags. "New dresses all around!" Kate exclaimed, smiling brightly at Tanya. Then she noticed Sean. "Oh! Who's this?" Kate still smiled, but a bit of tenseness entered her tone.

"Kate, Garret, this is Sean, the man I told you about, that I met on my last trip south?"

Kate's face brightened, and the tenseness left her voice. "Oh! This is the mysterious Sean! Well, it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" She beamed at Sean, pumping his hand up and down. She shot a speculative glance at Tanya. Garret merely frowned, nodding rather brusquely at Sean before disappearing upstairs with the bags

Sean turned back to Tanya. "I hate to say it, but I have to go."

Tanya's face fell."Really? I was hoping you could stay a while, and all of us could get better acquainted."

Sean sighed again. "Hopefully, the next time I visit will be under more pleasant circumstances, and there will be much more time to talk. But sadly, I really must be going." He took Tanya's hand and again kissed the back of it. "Stay well, Miss Tanya."

"You too, Mr. Sean." She smiled.

"I fear it's a bit cliché, but my last name is Murphy." He bowed to Kate, and headed out the door. Kate joined Tanya at the window and watched as he started down the driveway. Tanya expected to still see the strange creatures outside, but the clearing and woods around the house had returned to normal.

"Cute!" Kate commented, nudging Tanya with her hip. Tanya turned and gently slapped her sister's arm. "Don't start. It's not like that."

Kate laughed, but her laugh turned to a gasp as they looked back out the window. Sean was gone. It was a good three hundred yards or more to the bend in the driveway, but he had disappeared. Not only that, but it dawned on Tanya then that Sean had not arrived in a car. Confusion filled her mind again.

Then the phone rang. Tanya answered it while Kate went off in search of Garret. "Carlisle! It's great to hear from you! You won't believe who just left!"

"Sean?" Carlisle replied.

Tanya blinked. "Yes…how in the world did you know?"

"He visited me as well, this morning. But that's impossible…how did he get up there so fast?"

Tanya had no idea, but she told Carlisle about how Sean had disappeared, and not driven a car. She then filled him in as well on what Sean had said about the Volturi, what she had seen around the woods, and what Sean had told her of himself.

"Yes, he was pumping us for information about them as well. I'm not sure what to make of it. And we have noticed differences in the forest near here as well. It all makes sense now."

They talked and speculated together for a while. Carlisle was impressed over the fact that Sean was part of the Fey royal line, but it didn't totally surprise him either. Both he and Tanya decided it would be best to talk to their respective families as soon as possible.

After she hung up, Tanya moved back to the window. In her mind's eye, she pictured the scene from before. It was hard to remember, seeing the woods and clearing so empty and peaceful now, that she was so strongly guarded. As were the Cullens. It calmed her a little. And she felt gratified to have learned another piece or two of the puzzle that was Sean Murphy. She hoped to find out even more in time.

It was night in Volterra. The city was quiet and peaceful. A man walked through the gates, checked a map, and headed toward the central plaza. It was mostly deserted at that hour, and he loitered about near the fountain, casually looking around and taking a few pictures. He took several pictures of a certain building, then looked at some floor plans that he'd been holding.

After taking a few more pictures of the building, he noticed a dark, hulking shadow, clad in a grey robe, appear in an alley adjacent to the building. He smiled, his green eyes twinkling in the lights of the fountain. Removing a cell phone from the pocket of his long, grey coat, he dialed a number, which was picked up before it rang.

"I've found it," the man spoke in Irish. "And I've already got a spectator." He listened to the reply and chuckled. "No, it was easier than easy." He listened once more to the reply, snapped the phone shut, then vaulted up onto the ledge of the fountain. Sitting down so he was facing the hulking shadow in the alley, the man grinned and folded his hands in his lap. The two remained motionless, staring at one another as the night wore away…..


End file.
